The second annual TransRockies Challenge, or TR2, is almost upon us and Team Pedal is busy putting the final details together before the sound of the gun echoes through the streets of Fernie, BC on Sunday August 10th.

After last year's epic adventure there was some question as to whether we'd return in 2003. The toll of cycling 600+ kms with over 30,000 ft of climbing all in seven days weighed heavy on my mind while considering entering TR2. But the lure of adventure and the call of the challenge was just to much to ignore. The beauty of last year's ride and the incredible feeling of accomplishment, as teammate Rich Hamilton and myself crossed the finish line in spectacular Canmore, Alberta, far outweighed the aches and pains of each daily stage.

This year Rich is busy preparing for another great challenge full of adventure - parenting. So finding a teammate for TR2 was the first priority for 2003. Luckily it didn't take long for local legend Nels Guloien to step up to the challenge and Team Pedal was ready to ride. Support has poured in from several amazing sponsors, including Kona, Specialized , Norco, Rudy Project, Paris Glove, Powerbar and Koobi saddles. (See Gear page for links and details). Everything was clicking as we approached this years start - everything but Mother Nature's temperament.

Last year at this time we were faced with reports of snow covering 50% of the course and temperatures plunging well below zero, all of which had us wondering if there would actually be a race. What a difference a year makes. As we approach the 2003 start unrelenting forest fires threaten the towns and terrain that TR2 was scheduled to pass through. The organizers, in a tireless effort, have frantically been trying to reroute the course to side step the devastating inferno now covering 19,000 hectares. At last report the race is good to go, not as planned by the TransRockies organizing committee, but by Mother Nature herself.

So as we enter the realm of the Rockies for this year's chapter in the ever evolving story of the TransRockies, we, and all TR2 participants, will do well to remember what devastation has, and is taking place around us, and what dedication has gone into ensuring that the TransRockies Challenge 2003 will take place.